This invention relates to the improvement of combustion and fuel-burning devices, such as internal combustion engines, and oil, gas or coal burners, as used in industrial or home heating. The method and device disclosed are used to particular advantage in connection with internal combustion engines.
It is known that combustion devices which burn hydrocarbon fuels generally are more efficient and economical when supplied with moisture-laden air or droplets of water suspended in air to the manifold to be mixed with the vaporized fuel. See, e.g., U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,618,602, Meyers, 1,775,263, Wiegland, and 3,814,567, Zink. The reason for the increase in combustion efficiency is unclear, particularly since water is a reaction product from the combustion of hydrocarbon fuels, and the presence of reaction product in a reaction medium would generally be expected to drive the reaction in the opposite direction or at least slow it down. It has been postulated that the water vapor acts catalytically to aid in combustion. See U.S. Pat. No. 3,862,819 to Wentworth. Others, such as Zink, supra, have suggested that the water acts as a source of hydrogen which aids in more complete combustion of the carbon. Some have bubbled air through a water layer which is coated with a layer of oil or other hydrocarbon before injecting it into the combustion zone, e.g. Wentworth, supra, and U.S. Pat. No. 1,618,602 to Meyers et al. In such systems, it is possible that the water reacts with other components in the system to produce catalysts or other highly reactive fuels. At any rate, whatever the precise mechanism by which the efficiency is increased, some increase in efficiency has previously been recognized. The term "catalyst" and the like, as used herein, is intended to denote a substance which when added to a combustion mixture enhances the combustion, or forms a further product which enhances the combustion, whatever specific mechanism is involved.
In spite of the fact that this phenomenon has long been known, no device which employs the phenomenon to improve the efficiency of internal combustion engines, oil or gas burners or the like, has been commercially adopted by the automotive or heating industry. The reason for this is believed to be that previously known devices for infusing water vapor or other catalytic vapors into the combustion mixture have not proven to result in the expected increase in efficiency and performance on a dependable basis.
With regard to internal combustion engines, there have been a larger number of different approaches taken in attempts to solve the problems involved and develop a reliable device. Many, such as Meyers, U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,618,602, Wiegland, 1,775,263, Stover, 1,960,982, and Stephenson, 3,790,319, rely on the vacuum which occurs in the inlet manifold or is produced in the air line which feeds the inlet manifold to draw moisture-laden air from a water-containing chamber, the air having previously been enriched in water content by bubbling through the water in the chamber. In this way, increased amounts of moisturized air would be supplied when the carburetor demand is increased, e.g. when the accelerator is depressed. Others, such as Hayes, U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,556,109, and Andrews, 1,854,607, have utilized fans or air pumps driven by the engine in order to force air through a moisturizing apparatus from whence it enters the carburetor and is mixed with the fuel to form the combustion mixture. The alleged advantage of these systems is that the engine is supplied with greater amounts of moisturized air when the engine runs faster. Still other systems, including Atwood, U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,417,483, Davis, 1,685,598, and Mellinger, 2,835,233, inject water directly, either in the form of a fine spray or as a vapor of steam, into the gas supply to the engine rather than humidifying air and then injecting the humidified air. See also Vericamp, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,809,523, and Wentworth, 3,862,819, for the injection of water in systems other than internal combustion engines, e.g. oil or gas burners.
It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus which is effective in decreasing fuel consumption and improving performance of fuel-burning devices.
It is a particular object of the invention to decrease fuel consumption and improve performance of internal combustion engines.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a device which provides consistent improvement in performance and fuel consumption of a wide range of operating conditions and for a wide variety of combustion apparatus.
It is a further object to provide such a device in which the operation of the device is easily and precisely controlled and adjusted to maximize its effect, such device being easy to manufacture, install and use.
It is a still further object to provide a method of improving the combustion of hydrocarbon fuels, such as petroleum or fractions or derivatives of petroleum, which increases the combustion efficiency and decreases the fuel consumption in hydrocarbon fuel burning devices.